 The Doublers BBoard
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Author: rcnelson
Date: 2006-09-27 17:16
Claritone started the "favorite" musical thread. I would like to start the "most difficult" one.
For me, being a better sax player than clarinetist, A FUNNY THING...FORUM had some difficult clarinet passages. (I had Reed 3).
GYPSY (reed 1) had some tough piccolo parts for me.
Any others?
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Author: Jaysne
Date: 2006-09-29 03:10
West Side is probably the most challenging book I've played (Reed 1). But with a lot of practice, it has also been the most rewarding.
Bye Bye Birdie (Reed 1) also has a lot to work on.
Addendum (1/08) to above: I just finished playing the lead clarinet book in Music Man. Some killer runs and stuff in 6 flats and 5 sharps.
Post Edited (2008-01-31 15:42)
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Author: johnnymo0829
Date: 2007-01-09 19:41
I had a hard time with the scarlet pimpernelle. The reed 3 book has som unexpectedly hard flute stuff. The production that I played for also had rehearsed the entire show at too fast a tempo which made it even worse. All of us in the pit thought that it was a strange arranging job. The reed one guy complained a ton about how all the flute parts were way high, but the piccolo parts were all low.
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Author: Caco185
Date: 2007-01-09 23:29
I would say the most challenging book I've played to this day if "A Funny Thing Happened..." Book II. Clarinet/Alto Sax. I am a clarinettist and the licks were still extremely difficult RCNelson. :-) A very good show though..
I have a feeling I will have a close follower this spring. I'm playing "Suessical" twice; once in March and then again in May. I'm looking forward to it.
Another tricky book I've played is "Brigadoon.." Some of that Clarinet I stuff really flies. Not as bad as "A Funny Thing."
Dale Huggard
Clarinet Performance Major, Michigan
Buffet R-13 - Silver plated
Genussa Excellente
Spriggs Floating Rail Ligature
Vandoren V12 #4
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Author: johnnymo0829
Date: 2007-01-10 17:51
one that was more difficult than I ever thought it would be was the wizard of oz. I never expected the flute parts in reed 3 to be so tough
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Author: ArundoDonax
Date: 2007-01-10 20:44
I just finished a run of CHICAGO (2 reed players covering 3 books) and it's been the most challenging show for me so far. But it was a heckuva lot of fun, and great to be on stage instead of hidden away in a covered pit. Does anybody else find that with nearly any musical there are always 12 bars somewhere (hopefully not many more than that) in the book that feel nearly impossible? For me, it was a piccolo riff from Reed 1 in RAZZLE DAZZLE. Yeesh! At least I've stopped having nightmares about it.
There is some wicked piccolo stuff too in WEST SIDE STORY.
CRAZY FOR YOU was also a challenge, one of those shows where the arranger attempts to cover the entire range of every woodwind instrument, even writing low b's for flute that are completely covered by the other players. But a challenge is a good thing.
John Valleau
Next show SWEENEY TODD for Garden City Productions -- fall 2008.
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Author: Terry Stibal
Date: 2007-01-11 19:29
The Reed II book for A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum has the horrid, thrice varied clarinet solo in the key of seven flats at the beginning of the song "Free". I've been told that it was written that way because Mostel was quite limited in range, and it was transposed down from a much more reasonable key.
I had to sight read this one night when the Reed II dude was out due to a car wreck. I had all of five minutes notice before the downbeat for the "Overture", and spent all of the first act up to that point running over the transitions in the solos.
When it came time to plug in my part, I just emptied my mind completely, and "just played it". Almost made it through without a flub, although there was one minor one. For the rest of the first act, I dropped back and the Reed II guy played the part.
It's one of my favorite shows, not really a traditional musical (more like a "musical play"), and it's one that I've played through probably fifty odd performances over the years. I'd like to do the "new" version with the fancier sax lines, but it hasn't made it out to the sticks yet...
leader of Houston's Sounds Of The South Dance Orchestra
info@sotsdo.com
Post Edited (2007-01-12 05:05)
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Author: Erik713
Date: 2007-01-17 15:38
Wow...funny you guys are talking about Forum. I've got a call to play Reed III on it in February. Sounds like the clarinet parts will take some shedding!
Anything specific to watch out for?
ArundoDonax - I completely agree. There's always that one passage, and it's never background stuff, is it??
~~~~~~~
~Woodwind doubler - sop./alto/tenor saxes, clarinet, oboe, English horn, flute/picc.
~Woodwind Teacher
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Author: rcnelson
Date: 2007-01-17 15:58
Erik713, be sure you can play fast passages in 5 and 6 sharps and 5+ flats over the break. The clarinet parts are learnable but it will take time, unless you are a virtuoso clarinetist.
The only thing to worry about the tenor sax parts is keeping the reed wet in between the songs that call for it. Reed III is more than 90% clarinet, if I remember it well. It was March of 2006, but my brain is not getting any younger.
Ron
Selmer Mark VI tenor (1957), Selmer Mark VII alto (1975)
Buescher True Tone soprano (1924), Selmer CL210 Bb Clarinet, Gemeinhardt 3SHB Flute, Pearl PFP105 Piccolo
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Author: rcnelson
Date: 2007-01-17 15:59
Erik713, be sure you can play fast passages in 5 and 6 sharps and 5+ flats over the break. The clarinet parts are learnable but it will take time, unless you are a virtuoso clarinetist.
The only thing to worry about the tenor sax parts is keeping the reed wet in between the songs that call for it. Reed III is more than 90% clarinet, if I remember it well. It was March of 2006, but my brain is not getting any younger.
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Author: Terry Stibal
Date: 2007-01-18 00:34
Most everything in Forum is on clarinet, bass clarinet or flute, with very little saxophone. There's the "Overture", "House Of Marcus Lycus" and that's about it.
(The baritone has some "optional" parts, in the "Overture", that are played in lieu of any strings. Don't know about the other parts.)
And, this is in the "old" version. I can't speak to the new one (with Nathan Lane on Broadway), as it hasn't worked its way out here to the sticks yet.
leader of Houston's Sounds Of The South Dance Orchestra
info@sotsdo.com
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Author: Jaysne
Date: 2007-01-28 23:37
Just finished a run of Beauty and the Beast. We all agreed in the pit that it was the most demanding show we'd all ever done, and we've done a lot of shows. There was a lot of loud and aggressive playing followed by soft and sultry. Plus, not much space between each number. This is not to mention the incredible keys and key changes--5 b's to 6 #'s to 7 b's and so on.
After the first show our hands and fingers were completely fatigued. At the end of every performance we all heaved a big sigh of exhaustion.
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Author: jrbrook76
Date: 2007-02-23 17:42
It's funny that nobody has put "Miss Saigon" on the list. There are some pretty snarky flute/piccolo parts.
Being a flutist/piccoloist first, the stuff listed in other posts isn't the hardest for me, though the opening to Gypsy is a little tricky if you don't practice it correctly.
Picc parts in Shoeless Joe from "Damn Yankees" is rough.
My hardest score would have to have been "Once On This Island" only because I was playing most of the soprano sax on clarinet and the key signatures never had fewer than 5 sharps or Flats, and I had to pratice a lot to get used to using different fingerings on the way up versus the way down etc. Guess it's time to study clarinet scales more intensely.
Victor Victoria was a ball buster for clarinet as well...that solo starting on High G in "Le Jazz Hot" just about bit my lip off.
Jason Brook
Flutist/Woodwind Specialist
jrbrook76@yahoo.com
New York, NY
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Author: GBK
Date: 2007-02-23 20:23
jrbrook76 wrote:
> My hardest score would have to have been "Once On This Island"
> only because I was playing most of the soprano sax on clarinet
> and the key signatures never had fewer than 5 sharps or Flats,
> and I had to pratice a lot to get used to using different
> fingerings on the way up versus the way down etc. Guess it's
> time to study clarinet scales more intensely.
Yes...My vote would also go to "Once On This Island".
I just played it a few months ago and as a clarinetist with above average flute skills, the many quick transitions from piccolo to alto flute and then back to piccolo are a real test of your embouchure.
The clarinet and soprano sax parts (all VERY exposed) have a number of passages which definitely must be woodshedded - even if your strength is playing the single reeds ...GBK
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Author: Hank Lehrer
Date: 2007-12-22 11:33
Hi,
I just finished Chicago on Reed 3 (soprano, tenor, bari, clarinet, and bass clarinet). We were on stage using some risers and I had a very small area for all these instruments. I prefer the pit any day. Lugging everything on and off each day for 10 services was a real challenge.
The charts were pretty easy but the quick instrument changes were very tough on some songs. There was a lick in the Bows that was challenging on tenor but the bass clarinet throughout was a lot of fun. Some very nice exposed parts and some very good ones on bari.
There are several places were we had three soprano saxes playing which was a very interesting sound. We were all good players so the pitch was right on and the conductor, a sax player, commented on that fact.
HRL
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Author: BrianM
Date: 2008-03-25 16:16
For me, Forum didn't stick out as particularly challenging. Probably because clarinet is by far my strongest instrument. West Side Story Reed 3 was tricky, and there were some interesting instrument changes in it, especially any time I had to pull out the English Horn, play a couple bars, and quickly switch back to Oboe.
I think the toughest book I've played has to be Barber of Seville, clarinet 2. Especially since there are a lot of C clarinet parts in it, and I don't own a C clarinet. Doesn't help that those parts are at breakneck speed. So, quick and difficult clarinet passages while transposing. It was a lot of fun.
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Author: davyd
Date: 2008-03-25 17:28
There's different kinds of difficult ... if you're not used to the pit scene, even 'Sound of music' can be challenging.
I've dealt with high-sharp content in 'Brigadoon' and 'Music Man' by writing out passages for clarinet in A -- time consuming, but worth it. 'Forum' might be coming up for me soon; I imagine the same strategy will be needed.
'Sunday in the park with George' was a challenge, largely because I'd never faced Sondheim before, nor had I played anything quite so operatic. With that under my belt, 'Sweeney Todd' a few years later was not so bad.
The playing in '1776' isn't hard, but regaining focus after 15 to 30 minutes of dialog isn't as easy as it sounds.
'Mystery of Edwin Drood' -- again, maybe not so hard. But explaining to a sub about the two different "Limericks" and the seven different "Confessions" was never easy. ("Why can't they just decide it in advance and leave us alone?" was a typical response.)
One colleague felt that accompanying "Superstar" suffering His fate 12 times over was a seriously depressing way to spend four weekends.
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Author: Band Geekette
Date: 2008-07-12 02:50
For clari parts, I've been told that West Side Story and Fiddler on the Roof are extremely hard because of the style. I haven't yet had the opportunity to play either of these though.
In Beauty and the Beast I had to play clarinet (my primary) and then also flute and picc. There were a few killer parts that I had to simplify, but mostly it was just really fun. I've also done Aida and Oklahoma. I think out of those three, Aida was my favorite. We did the Elton John version I believe, and the modern music was great!
-Sarah- ![[cool]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/cool.gif)
~ just keep playing~
Every person is a unique instrument and we all add our own beauty to the symphony of the world....*
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